Wings of Chaos
by iWillNVRbAmemory
Summary: This is Cloud's story behind KH&KH2. This was previously rated T, but I had to raise the rating. Rated M for graphic violence and mild language. Please R&R.
1. Chapter 1

A little about the story:

Many people have wondered about the story behind the enigma that is Cloud Strife. In the Kingdom Hearts world, Cloud's story has been hidden from the public, leaving us to guess on hints as to what Cloud's past may hold. My tale is a tale of deception against a powerful world, the love between two completely opposite people, and the darkness that has awoken in a young man's heart. This is Cloud's story, and I hope that I can do justice to the wonderful character that we all have come to love, Cloud Strife. This is his story, the real story behind his dark past and inner demons...

DISCLAIMER: Because this is my very first fanfic, the rating of this story is a T. However, this tale is not for the faint of heart, as it is extremely graphic in the later chapters, and may prompt me to raise the rating. However, the later added M rating is only for excessive violence and mild language, as the descriptions can and will get a little gruesome. To remind those who are reading, this is Cloud's story, and is a far from friendly tale.

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The black blood bubbled and boiled as the severed carcass of the dark demon fell to the earth with a thud, its demonic blade sliding across the ground. Cloud looked down on his foe once more before jamming his large sword into the carcass yet again, his bandaged blade now covered from head to foot in dark plasma. Even while dead, the disembodied head still stared at its enemy, a foul, evil grin across its wicked face. Cloud held back a shiver, his eyes unblinkingly staring at the horde of evil Heartless that stood before him.

Looking to his right, he immediately noticed Leon holding his own against another three beasts, his silver gunblade slicing wickedly through the air. Beyond Leon, Cloud could see Yuffie twirling her shuriken in desperation, cleaving off the armed hand of a rather fat Heartless demon. Nodding in approval of his friends, Cloud continued his relentless assault, his blade slicing through the horde of fiends.

Ducking and dodging, Cloud quickly disposed of two enemies via decapitation, their black blood spurting like a fountain from the stump. Prompted to help their fallen comrades, around ten or so more Heartless charged at Cloud from all sides. Sensing the attack, he immediately jumped into the air, causing a furious Heartless to accidentally behead one of his own brothers. Flipping in the air, Cloud swirled his sword in an almighty arc, sending the weight of the blade through the swarm of fiends. Three fell apart after being cleaved in half through their center, their two halves floating to the floor while blood showered the barren ground. Losing no consistency, Cloud shoved his sword into the ground and hopped onto its hilt. A large Heartless walked forward carrying a huge, spiked mace. Spotting Cloud, the foe instantly swung its weapon in a horizontal crescent. Ready for the attack, Cloud jumped straight into the air, avoiding the blow. Instead of landing upon the hilt again however, Cloud instantaneously curved his body downward into a dive, grabbing the blade's handle in his fists. Completing his flip, he pulled the large sword out of the ground, over his head, and straight through the center of his foe. As blood poured over the ground like a river, Cloud quickly regained his stamina and slashed through yet another horde of beasts.

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The field lay silent in the dark night, the moon glow illuminating the black blood that still pooled on the barren ground. Bodies were everywhere, black, oozing liquid still escaping the corpses' wounds.

"What a real pain in the ass," Yuffie declared as she sat on a bloodied stone, a frown covering her young face, "I swear, I must have chipped my shuriken in six places. The next time I have to face another one of those damned Heartless, they'll be asking for it."

"Temper, temper," responded Leon, "you're much too young  
to throw such words around."

"Oh shut your hole, Squall," Yuffie said angrily.

"Don't call me Squall, Yuffie, the name's  
Leon. I abandoned that name long ago."

"Oh shut up you----"

"Hey, listen, do you hear that?" Cloud interrupted.

"Hear what?" Yuffie said, puzzled.

"The sound of a kid whining and complaining and  
bitching and moaning," said Cid, the old Gummi Ship  
expert who had suddenly arrived from the town.

"What did you say you old fart?" Yuffie snapped back,  
her nostrils flaring.

"You heard me," said Cid again in his country accent, "and you best be heeding to some advice. Basically, you need to shut up, and the rest of you need to get  
back to town in case more of them Heartless show up."

"Oh be quiet, there isn't any more Heartless around, we killed them all," chimed Yuffie.

"Really? Then why was there a few hundred left beyond  
the caste construction site?" said Cid

"You know what? You are so full of bull sh---"

"Quiet," Cloud said again in his stern voice. As Yuffie stared at him angrily, Cloud noticed that a girl was approaching from the mist created from death. Quenching his eyes tightly, Cloud recognized the figure, and his eyes immediately widened.


	2. Chapter 2

Cloud stood in a deserted square, silver buildings disappearing into the mist that hid the never-ending sky. The large parasite of fear crept along his cold heart, prompting a small bead of sweat to run down Cloud's narrow cheekbone. The dark haze that shrouded the city in mystery cast its eerie blue glow on his pale face, his eyes glowing in the cold atmosphere. Goosebumps popped simultaneously up Cloud's arms, his hairs standing on end in the perpetual nothingness that could be called a city. However, the city seemed to be nonexistent, as if it were an illusion in a bad dream.

Cloud slowly walked forward, his feet making echoes in the nothingness, his sword clutched tightly in his right fist. The world was strange and bizarre, with the atmosphere consisting of darkness, and the buildings glowing with a hypnotizing radiance that prevented shadows from being cast. Even with the bright glow, the buildings couldn't have been more menacing. They were flanged and spiked, with stain-glass windows and grotesque gargoyles.

Suddenly, a shadow as from a ghost leapt out from around a building, heading straight toward the largest building that stood in the center of the square. After recovering from the shock of seeing a ghost, Cloud quickly regained his composure and curiously squinted at the quickly moving object. It took only a few seconds for him to know what he had seen, and the vision horrified him.

Running towards the building was none other than a dark figure wearing white, his high collar partially hiding the dark face that held two red eyes. In the figure's right hand was a large white sword. Cloud understood that this was him, yet in a different image, an image from a different perspective, perhaps even a different world. He also noticed that upon the figure's back were two large white wings, the wings of an angel. Before Cloud could fathom the meaning of the figure, the dark Cloud had disappeared. In the blink of an eye, a white aura engulfed him, and within seconds he had appeared atop the tall building, two large white wings covering his torso.

Before Cloud could react to his astonishment, a large shadow passed over him, casting his flesh in a coldness that froze like ice. Evil as never before experienced by man crept across his body, and he was frightened, so terribly frightened that his body seized up, his muscles loosing all function. Blinking in confusion, Cloud suddenly noticed a figure moving towards him, the figure of the dark Cloud. Cloud looked at the figure curiously, and then watched as the figure morphed itself into a tall, dark figure.

Still frozen in shock, Cloud's eyes instantly widened, as the features of his nightmare came to reality. Neon green eyes glowed brightly in the pale fluorescent light, long silver hair sprouted from the figure's scalp, and a long, wicked sword dragged the ground behind the figure's steps. One large, dark crow's wing sprouted from the figures back, and every step it took left the trace and feeling of tainted darkness. Before Cloud could react, the blade of his attacker stabbed the air, sinking its steel edge deep in Cloud's chest.

The agony was unbelievable, with dark blood running down his torso and down further to pool at his feet. Cloud stared into his attacker's bright, cold eyes, and noticed the evil smile of stolen victory upon the devil's face.

"Death," whispered the figure, and at once, Cloud's wings morphed into that of a demon, and his body began to spasm violently, his muscles aching in unimaginable pain. A scream escaped his dying lips, and before he could let go of his suffering and accept the calmness of death, Cloud awoke from his sleep.

His body was covered in cold sweat, and the pain of the sword wound was still searing in his chest. Although it had been a dream, it had felt so real, and the thought of such an event being merely a nightmare made Cloud even more uneasy. Was this a sign for things to come? Cloud didn't know, but the thought of having to perhaps relive an event of this caliber secretly haunted his heart and he knew that he wasn't going to get any more sleep this night.

All of a sudden, the door slammed up against the wall, and a girl ran into the room. Showing more surprise than was usually common of him, Cloud immediately sat up to stare into the slender girl's pretty face.

"Are you okay Cloud? Are you feeling well? Did you have a nightmare?" Tifa asked unceasingly.

"I'm fine," Cloud responded, smiling at the girl who he had met the previous day after the battle.

"Just making sure," Tifa said silently, her face falling slightly.

"What's the matter?" Cloud asked curiously.

"Oh, nothing, it's just that I haven't seen you since we were younger, and I am just curious about your story…"

"My story?" Cloud asked perplexedly, "what do you mean _my_ story?"

"Well I mean, I haven't seen you in so long, and with all this mess with the Heartless, and with the Keyblade Master found, I was just wondering what has been going on since I was away?"

"So many things," Cloud said silently, his voice falling gravely, his bright eyes showing no emotion, "I don't really know what to say. So much has happened, so many things that I regret, that I don't know where to begin."

"Well," Tifa said excitedly, "just start anywhere, I don't mind."

"It's not that I want to keep you shut out, Tifa," Cloud said, his voice getting graver by the second, "it's that my past haunts me. I don't want to repeat my past to anyone. In fact, I have only once told someone the darkness that I traveled in to, and that person was Aerith. The only reason why I had the heart to tell her is because it was I who left her when she needed me most. It was I who walked away in search of the very thing that would cause my nightmares less than a year later."

Tifa stared at Cloud confusedly, her big brown eyes showing enthusiasm and curiosity. "Please Cloud, I want to know, I feel left in the dark. I have been searching for you for almost 2 years, and when I finally found you before Sora defeated Xemnas, you ignored me and ran away. Why did you do that to me?"

Cloud stared at her in silence, his eyes still showing no emotion. "If I told you why, I would have to tell the whole story, unto which I am not sure I am ready to repeat."

"Please Cloud, you must tell me. We were really close once, why do you have to shut me out?"

Cloud was silent for a few seconds, his mind racing as to what to say. "Tifa, I care about you, that is why I walked away when you sought me."

"If you truly care about me, then please just tell me…"

Cloud stared at Tifa, his bright eyes glowing in the darkness. "Ok Tifa, I'll tell you."


	3. Chapter 3

_Do you remember the first time we met?_

_Tifa: Yes…_

_I remember also, just like it was yesterday. Do you remember how old we were?_

_Tifa: Weren't we about 13?_

_Yes, 13 exactly…_

The sun was shining brightly in the mid afternoon, prompting brightly colored flowers to tilt their beautiful petals towards the sun's rays. Young Cloud looked up into the bright sky, his innocent appearance showing the features of a young boy, a boy who had, just yesterday, turned 13. He was a teenager now, and old enough to officially be deemed the man of the house. His father had died when Cloud was extremely young, so his mother had raised him since birth. Thus, he had never remembered his father. Actually, he had never even _met_ his father.

Cloud's dad was a soldier in the Grand Army, an organization that ran the peace committee for all worlds, with representatives from each planet. His father was a soldier in the R.G.C., or Radiant Garden Company. His father was a great soldier, and Cloud's mother used to tell him stories about his old man's brave feats, such as leading an army through a humongous battlefield filled with _Schwärzung_, which were early incarnations of what would later evolve into the more advanced "Heartless".

The _Schwärzung_ were humanoid creatures that were tainted with darkness, which would completely destroy the creature's heart and soul. However similar these creatures were to Heartless or Nobodies, the main difference was their physical appearance, and the fact that they could bleed.

_Tifa: That's kind of like the Heartless army that you, Squall, and Yuffie faced yesterday, isn't it?_

_Sort of, however, the creatures that we faced yesterday seemed to be evolutionary bodies of what were once Heartless. What makes these new creatures different from _Schwärzung _is that these are post-Heartless, not pre-Heartless._

_Tifa: Interesting…_

_Yes, now where was I?_

_Tifa: you were talking about your father._

_Oh yeah._

Cloud's father was known far and wide across many worlds as "The Shadow Killer", a term that referred to the astronomical number of _Schwärzungs _that had fallen to his father's mighty blade. After finding out about his father's power and strength from his mother's stories, Cloud had grown up with the dream of becoming a great warrior, a dream that he had held true all of his life.

However, with all the stories that his mother had ever told him, there was one that stood out in particular. This dream, to which Cloud begged for his mom to recall, was a tale about his father's death. According to his mother, Cloud's father had been such a great warrior that he had made many enemies, one of which was a dark warrior who traveled the world as an infamous assassin, carrying out dark deeds for astronomical amounts of munny. This warrior sought out Cloud's father on his own accord, just as an opportunity to taste the death of a famous adversary. The dark warrior had killed Cloud's father after a short fight, striking the final blow as the dying father begged for mercy.

The thought of such a thing made Cloud shake with anger. He had never met his father because a dark warrior had seen fit to murder his old man for the pure pleasure of doing so. However angry Cloud had become, he simultaneously felt curious. The puzzling part of the story was that the warrior had been dressed in pure black, with long, silky silver hair, neon eyes of green, and a long, menacing katana. No one had seen such a warrior alive, and most people who were questioned thought that the whole ordeal was a hoax. However, Cloud thought otherwise, and he had promised himself that he would find this man one day, and finish him.

As his blood boiled through his veins, a young girl had approached him, wearing a white tank top and short, black shorts. Startled, Cloud jumped back in surprise.

_Do you remember what the first thing you ever said to me was?_

_Tifa: No…_

"Why are you angry?" the young girl asked, a puzzled expression on her face.

"I'm not angry," Cloud replied stubbornly, his bright eyes staring furiously at the girl.

"Right, well, I guess I'll go."

"Wait!" Cloud said as the girl turned to walk away, "Sorry I was being such a jerk. Um, what's your name?"

"Tifa," replied the girl

_You're blushing_

_Tifa: Am not!_

"Nice to meet you, I'm Cloud."

"That's a nice name," Tifa said.

"Thanks. So, where are you from?"

"Traverse Town, it's a world far away from here."

"Wow! You come from another world!"

"Yes, my mother died of a rare disease a year after I was born, so my father and I travel around."

"Oh, I'm sorry that your mom died. My dad died when I was a baby."

"Oh, it's alright, I've accepted it. But believe me, it took a long time. I really loved her."

"Yeah…"

_Remember, we talked for hours, about random kid stuff. I remember telling you about my dad and the games I liked to play, and also about my friends._

_Tifa: Cloud, how does this have anything to do with the story?_

_Well, because eventually your dad came to pick you up and take you back to your ship. Once you left, I went back home…_

_Tifa: Cloud, what happened?_

_What happened? This was the single event that shaped my life up until I was 19; this is the memory that hurts every time I recount it. This is the memory that made me who I used to be…_

As Cloud made his way back home, he recounted everything that he had talked about with Tifa, all the things that were important to him. As Cloud came up to a hill, a strange feeling crept across his skin. His blood froze, his hairs stood up on his arms, and his teenage muscles tensed in sudden fear. A Coldness, moving as a shadow, passed through Cloud's body, turning tendons and veins alike into ice. He could feel the dark spirit passing through his body, and the moment the coldness subsided, he raced off over the hill, only to see a sight that would scar his memories forever.

His house that had once been home to both himself and his mother stood in red flames, burning quickly in the intense fire. Shocked, Cloud immediately took off towards his mother's shed, swinging the door open violently. Hanging up on the far wall was a large sword, the sword of his deceased father. As quickly as possible, Cloud rushed to the sword and desperately tried to remove it from the large tongs that held it in place. Struggling to hold the giant sword, Cloud immediately ran back towards his burning house as fast as his legs would allow. His mother had been home that day, and the thought of her still being inside the burning house was horrifying. Using every last bit of strength, Cloud raised the sword in the air and sent it crashing against the house's wooden wall. The impact immediately made a large, gaping hole unto which a person could fit through. Throwing the sword aside, Cloud jumped in the hole, right into the large, burning kitchen. Before he could even begin to search, he had found his dead mother, her body half burnt in flames. Yet the sight didn't end there. Cloud stood in shock as her dead eyes stared at a nonexistent figure, her body hanging limp from the wall, hung up only by a long, wicked katana that stood piercing her chest, the blade embedding itself in the burning boards.


End file.
